Teaching 2 sessions/day: Parents agree but still have concerns

Flexible and practical organization

According to Official Dispatch No. 4567, the Ministry of Education and Training guides general education institutions to implement teaching 2 sessions/day based on the practical situation of teaching staff, facilities, teaching equipment and specific conditions of each locality and each school. Accordingly, the goal of organizing teaching 2 sessions/day is to improve the quality of comprehensive education, helping students to study, practice and develop comprehensively in terms of qualities and abilities according to the requirements of the 2018 General Education Program.

The most notable change in Official Dispatch No. 4567 is the regulation that the maximum number of lessons is only 7 lessons/day (the current regulation is 8 lessons/day) for all 3 levels of education (primary, secondary, high school). Reducing the number of lessons per day by one lesson will help students have more time to rest, reduce stress and pressure, and help teachers teach more effectively.

Students of Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary School (Tran Bien Ward) in a physical education class, school year 2024-2025. Illustration photo: Kim Lieu

The document clearly states that, in addition to teaching compulsory subjects and educational activities, schools need to increase the organization of physical education, life skills, arts, career guidance, STEM education, and experiential activities... The time for organizing 2 sessions/day of teaching must ensure that it does not overload students.

Depending on specific conditions, schools can organize 2 sessions/day in the form of rotating classes or arrange for a full day of teaching for each class. Activities in the second session are organized flexibly, focusing on voluntariness, suitable to the needs, wishes and abilities of students.

In addition, the Ministry of Education and Training requires the Departments of Education and Training to direct schools to survey actual conditions, student and parent needs to develop a plan to organize teaching 2 sessions/day; ensure publicity, transparency, not collect fees outside of regulations, not put pressure on teachers and students...

Official dispatch No. 4567 allows the Department of Education and Training and schools to proactively develop teaching plans suitable to the conditions of facilities and teaching staff, helping units to be more flexible in arranging and organizing appropriate timetables. The issued official dispatch also aims to improve the quality of regular school hours; overcome the situation of illegal extra teaching and learning; build a healthy and safe educational environment, ensuring fairness in access to education.

Facilities and human resources must be commensurate.

Many parents expressed their agreement with the policy of teaching 2 sessions/day in the spirit of Official Dispatch No. 4567. However, to implement it effectively, parents made many specific proposals related to facilities and organization of activities.

Ms. Tran Thi Loc, a parent of a 9th grader in Dau Giay commune, shared: “Organizing 2 sessions/day, in my opinion, is necessary, helping students have more time to study and practice, without having to go to extra classes outside. However, my child’s school currently lacks functional rooms, libraries, playgrounds... and there is no place for the children to rest at noon. I hope the school and the education sector will pay attention to investing more.”

According to Ms. Tran Thi My Lien, residing in Long Thanh commune, the policy of studying 2 sessions/day combined with the fact that next school year, students from kindergarten to high school will be exempted from tuition fees is very good news. This is a humane and practical policy. Studying 2 sessions/day is very necessary, because the current curriculum is quite heavy; students need time at school to practice, review and practice soft skills and instead of finding a place to study extra, they will study full-time at school under the management of teachers. "My husband and I work for a company, go to work all day, the most worrying thing is that our children finish school early and go home alone. If we study 2 sessions, our children can stay at school all day, learn life skills, and participate in experiential activities, there is nothing better" - Ms. Lien said.

In addition to the consensus, many parents suggested that the school should carefully survey the needs of students and families before organizing 2 sessions/day. At the same time, provide clear information about the goals, content, time, and organization of teaching. "We really need to know what our children will learn in the second session, whether they will learn skills, have practical experience, and whether they have to pay fees... If we know clearly, parents will feel more secure and cooperate to implement it" - Mr. Nguyen Hoang Chinh, a parent with a child studying in grade 10 in Trang Bom commune, shared.

Some parents believe that in order to effectively implement activities such as STEM, life skills, and career guidance, teachers need to be trained and educated in modern teaching methods. Mr. Nguyen Hoang Anh (Trang Dai ward) suggested: “I agree with organizing more educational activities, but the teaching staff must be properly trained to effectively implement new content.”

Kim Lieu

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/giao-duc/202508/day-hoc-2-buoingay-phu-huynh-dong-thuan-nhung-con-ban-khoan-1fe4f63/